Regional Stability, Security and Sustainable Return: Syria's No-Camps Imperative

Good evening, colleagues. Excellencies, colleagues, honestly, friends. Welcome to this side event. Thank you for making the time in a very, very busy week. We know how incredible your schedules are. We are very happy to host you here amidst, as you know, a very turbulent region. And somehow in Syria, we feel even more pressure and responsibility when we're told that we're the story of hope. We're the good story, where things are going well. And so, because we feel this responsibility, we wanted to let you know how this story can continue, and what is it exactly that Syria needs during this time in order to be able to contribute to regional stability at a time of incredible turmoil and security for the wider region. And so for us, as you may have known, unfortunately, the Syrian story has been told in so many different ways in the last 14 years. A story that, you know, is often traumatizing for us in terms of the death, the suffering, the displacement, the refugee crisis, and so on. But that's not how we want to be remembered. How we want to be remembered is when I went to Idlib a few months ago with colleagues here around the table, and I saw camps Half empty, people moving back home, people being able to say that now I'm able to return. And there is a social element to that. People in camps were the ones generally who refused to stay under the repressive regime. They took a stance in the face of persecution at a huge, huge cost. And so now, in order for us to be able to welcome Syrians back home from across the world, as many of you have hosted generously Syrians who also contributed to your economies, and for us to be able to guarantee security and to be able to have social cohesion, Syria without camps became an imperative. And I'm humbled by having so many esteemed colleagues here who I can say, looking around the table, have been at least to Syria once, if not more, within those two years. So thank you all for accepting our invitation and being with us here today. But this event, really our keynote speaker is Minister Ra'ad Saleh, who has been tasked by a presidential decree, so it's in ink, that he is in charge of making Syria without camps. And we're very blessed to have him here, someone who, as you yourself know, has been someone who lived in camps and his family lived in camps in the northwest and in other places and led bravely the White Helmets who helped people from under rubble, even during displaced areas. So there is no more fitting person to be really leading this charge. I know we're incredibly tight on time and you colleagues here in New York often hear a lot from me, so I'll give it now to Raed for some introductory But thank you all for being here with us tonight.

Thank you, Ibrahim.

Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, representatives of diplomatic missions of UN and international organizations, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you today. I thank you for joining us for this discussion on one of the most important issues facing Syria today. How do we move from displacement to stability, from tents to homes, and from emergency assistance to a life where each Syrian can regain their dignity and build their future?

Allow me to begin with a personal story.

In 2019, During one of the major waves of displacement in northern Syria, I was visiting one of the camps in rural Idlib. An elderly woman approached me and asked, "When will we return to our homes?" I had no answer. She then said, "If our return is not going to happen soon, then at least give women some privacy in the camp." Years later, In December 2024, I met the same woman again. This time, she told me confidently, "We will return." I told her to wait, but she insisted on returning to her village in rural Hama.

A.

Few days later, she called and told me, "We returned, but the house was destroyed, and the village was devastated. There is no bakery, no health center, no roads, and no services. We tried to stay, but we could not. So we returned to the camp. For me, this story summarizes the entire challenge. Return is not simply moving people from a tent back into their village. Return means that a person finds a place where they can live in dignity and stability. From this understanding came our vision of Syria without camps and zero tents.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to be clear about what we mean by this vision.

Our goal is not to close camps. Our goal is to eliminate the need for camps. We do not want to ask a family to leave a tent only to return to a destroyed house or to a village without water, schools, health care, or job opportunities. Therefore, The guiding principle for us is clear. Return must be voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable. It should not disappear before a viable alternative exists. For years, camps have been a humanitarian necessity that saved the lives of Syrians, but they were always intended as a temporary solution and could not become a permanent future for an entire generation. For this reason, Presidential Decree No. 59 was issued by the President, establishing a committee chaired by the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management with the participation of relevant government institutions to work on rehabilitating affected areas and creating the conditions necessary for the return of residents. But our experience tells us that sustainable return requires four interconnected elements. First, security. There can be no safe return before landmines, unexploded ordinances, and remnants of war are removed. Second, the rehabilitation of affected areas. Removing rubble, reopening roads, and restoring infrastructure are essential prerequisites for the people's return. Third, basic services. Schools, healthcare centers, water, electricity, bakeries, and roads what make communities livable once again. Fourth, livelihoods. Even if we rebuild homes, if people cannot find employment opportunities that enable them to provide for their families, they may be forced into displacement once again. Therefore, we are not speaking only about reconstructing buildings. We are speaking about rebuilding the ability of people to live.

Ladies and gentlemen.

We know that the primary responsibility rests with us as Syrians. Syria should lead this process. Its institutions and its local communities must remain at its center. However, we should also be realistic. The scale of destruction and the accumulated needs resulting from years of war are far greater than Syria can address on its own. This is why we need a new international partnership. We do not only need the continuation of humanitarian assistance for those who still require them. We also need to begin moving from financing displacement to financing solutions. We need investment in demining and the removal of war remnants, clearing rubble, rehabilitating schools, healthcare centers, water and electricity networks. and supporting small businesses, creating employment opportunities, and revitalizing local economies. We are not asking the international community to fund the closure of camps. We are asking it to help us build the conditions that enable Syrians, on their own free will, to leave them. And this is a fundamental difference. Investing in a village to which residents to which its residents can return, in a school that welcomes their children, in a water network that serves an entire community, and in a project that generates job opportunities, is not merely a humanitarian response. It is an investment in stability. Ladies and gentlemen, seven years ago, that woman asked me, when will we return to our homes? I had no answer then. Today, I will not make promises to any Syrian family that I cannot fulfill. But what we can do is build the conditions that make return a real, safe, and sustainable option. That is what Zero Tents means to us. It is not a number we seek to announce that we have achieved, nor is it a campaign to close camps. It is a vision for a Syria in which the tent once again becomes a temporary solution, not a home. We want to extend our hands to every partner who wishes to help us achieve this goal, because the best way to end displacement is not by removing tents, but by providing the conditions allowing people to leave them behind. Thank you, and may the peace of God be upon you.

A.

Few days ago, as you know, the monthly Security Council meeting was held on Syria. And Mr. Fletcher mentioned some figures. Usually, we mention figures from a negative point of view, the number of people who are displaced, the schools that were destroyed, the children who need education, et cetera.

But Mr. Fletcher gave the figure of 3 million, and those are the IDPs and the displaced that have returned. And I see the colleague here saying that he has other figures, so I will leave UNHCR to give you more accurate figures.

So we will be listening to the colleagues.

What we can say that these figures reflect the success that We have met, thanks to the Syrian efforts, before this session. We did not inaugurate this initiative here in New York.

We launched it in Syria.

We started implementing it, and we are here today to tell you what we have done and how we can proceed and expand this initiative. Now we will watch a short video on this initiative.

Tents were meant to be short-term solutions. Not a home for a lifetime. 14 years of short-term assistance have passed, yet families are still waiting for what every family deserves: safety, stability, dignity, and a place to truly call home. Zero-tent vision is not a dream. It's a commitment to end the cycle of temporary shelter and replace it with lasting and dignified solutions. A future without camps shouldn't feel impossible, and together, we can make it real.

Thank you very much. Colleagues, we will now move to the session with panelists. And I first give the floor to Mr. Alexander de Greu, the administrator of UNDP. Alexander, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Glad to have you here in New York, dear colleagues. Returning home is not the end of displacement. It's actually the start of recovery. And that is the real significance of the discussion that we have here. All of us, and I hope many of you have been in Syria, and I've seen the scars, and the real scars. Big share of the population, unfortunately, having to live with disability because one of the reasons, of course, there's so many mines and unexploded devices that are still there, but also the emotional scars of 14 years of war. But also seen that things work. reconstruction is taking place. Debris is being removed, mines are being cleared, sanitation services are being restored, and seeing a young population that doesn't want to complain, doesn't want to talk about the past, but wants to have the tools to reconstruct. And that determination, we also see it with the Syrian government, that has to deal with something quite hard, and that is 2 million IDPs and almost 2 million refugees coming home. Now, there is no government in the world as powerful you can be, as well organized you can be, that can say, oh, yeah, we'll just fix that. That is just a really, really hard thing to do. Now, that vision of no tents, no camps is a critical one, and critical for many reasons. But the main reason is that, as said in that movie, tents are temporary. There is nothing as permanent as things that are temporary, because you just keep working on the temporary element. And if you do not say, this is our ambition, this is what we want to get out of, you stay in this circle of temporary solutions. And so the answer of no tent, that is not coming by itself. I mean, that requires investment. It requires policy. It requires organization. It requires a real ambitious program. And we are glad to be one of the many players that is part of that. And I think many of you here are active in Syria and are trying to put that into practice by restoring services, by bringing what people need, which is schools, an administration that functions, medical services. And, you know, we have done this in the world. Friend Bahram will maybe talk about it. In Iraq, we have been quite successful at doing that. And we know when services are being restored, people do come home. And when people are coming home, that's how you rebuild a country. Unfortunately, today, the end of the war doesn't mean the end of danger. And one of the main regions of danger is the mines and everything that is linked to that, and that demands a long-term effort, and it demands longer-term financing. And I think that is the main impediment that we have as a development organization. I mean, we are ready to do recovery work, and I think we have the knowledge and the capacity to do it. But we also need the financing to follow that. And we need to find a way. I mean, looking at the UN organizations here, I think we all have the same goal. And I think in practice, we work shoulder to shoulder with the same goal. But we need your support as member states and as funders. to follow that flexibility that we show and to follow that flexibility with funding for recovery. I think we are now at the point where recovery needs to happen. And that goal of a Syria without camps is a beautiful one and is one that I think that we can make happen, but really, we need your support to achieve that.

Thank you so much, Alexander. And it's really no coincidence that all four leaders of organizations that lead this kind of work are all here with us today because they're present on the ground. They're working very well together and working with us. And this is where that's why we're so humbled to have you here and having the states that support us and the organizations also present. And just as some of you might know, once the kind of high level segment comes to a close, we will then go into the technicalities so that governments here can send back cables and say, these are the numbers, this is what we can offer, this is what is needed, these are the gaps. And our directorate of international cooperation has these figures, has these numbers. So we're not here for an advocacy appeal, that is part of it, but we're here also with numbers, facts and figures to be able to work with you and make all of this happen. I now give the floor to USG Fletcher for his remarks on this issue.

I 100% agree with everything that Alexander said. And also, Ibrahim, when you speak, I mean, we feel the weight of the hope that you carry and the responsibility that you carry, and you are carrying it individually and collectively with extraordinary grace and courage, and we saw that again recently in the Security Council, of course. And the meeting today, I mean, just for everyone else, the meeting today between the SG and President Al-Sharaa was one of the most positive meetings that I've been in in almost two years in this job and shows how far we've come. You know, I left 10 years ago, I left a very comfortable job in British diplomacy to work on Syrian education. And, you know, so these are special moments. Alexandra and I were in Damascus and we traveled, of course, across Syria six months ago, and we launched the humanitarian response plan, the needs plan in country for the first time and with the government for the first time. And that says it all. And we feel as a collective, energized by the No Camps, No Mines framing and determined to get behind it and to move through the gears on the implementation now. The vision is very, very clear. We've got to help deliver on the implementation. and also demonstrate not just to Syrians, but actually elsewhere that there is a new model for ways to do this. And I say this to our humanitarian friends, that we can imagine our own departure, and we really can imagine and plan for our own departure, which should not be too far away. Of course, the humanitarian needs remain huge. We've got to deliver on those. And to build on what Alexander said, world affairs are not helping you at the moment. This is the worst time in several decades to be emerging from decades of repression. And between the choke points and conflict in the region and super El Ninos and 40% fuel prices, you know, we're not making it easy for you right now. But I feel strongly here that, and Raid and I have discussed this often, we as the UN failed Syria for a long time. in the past, and we must not fail now. We have to share the burden of that responsibility and of that hope with you for as long as you want us to share it. And I'll just close with another encouraging thought that I said in discussions with President Asharaff when we were there, you know, that we think, of course, of Syria as a partner in this work, but also because, you know, we have a lot of work to do around the world, we also think of you as a generous future donor. to humanitarian efforts worldwide. No pressure to get there too soon, but I know Syrian hospitality, so I know that you will go back soon to exporting that compassion to the world. And the example of that, you know, just a couple of months ago when we last met, within an hour of our meeting, and this guy knows more than anyone in the world about pulling bodies out from beneath the rubble, you know, as a cast-iron hero, within the hour of our meeting, there were Syrian teams mobilizing to come to Venezuela, to La Guaira, and support the earthquake response. And it was one of the best days of my life to see those Syrian teams in action at La Guaira, saving lives. So thank you.

Thank you, Tom. And indeed, it was a moment of national pride when we saw those teams that used to pull also colleagues because of the double taps from under rubble are now moving to another country to be able to help those. there aren't so many people that will tell you things are difficult because they've seen it all and understand, like Tom, you've seen the whole world, so when you say things are difficult, I take it on face value. And there aren't so many people who have been heads of government, Alexander, and so when you tell there's no government in the world that is able to do this, I also take that as a very clear statement. And colleagues, I'd like to think I am happy to be often corrected when I get things wrong. But in this instance, I'm incredibly happy to get the numbers wrong of those who have returned because it means that more and more people have returned. So, Baham, over to you. And please give us the numbers that you have collected.

I am told that 1.9 million internally displaced people have returned back to their original areas, 1.8 million people refugees from neighboring countries have gone back. And truly, Syria, I spent about a week a couple months ago. On one hand, I was so pained by the destruction that I have seen across the country. When I visited Sadnaya, And it was a reminder of the cruelty that the people of Syria have suffered for so many years. And reflecting back that Syria for the last 15 years was truly the headline for suffering, repression, displacement, and onward movement. That did not stay with Syria itself. It impacted the world as a whole. And as you go to Syria and look at it also, you see the legacy of almost five decades of command economy, mismanagement, repression that has reigned over that beautiful land and has inhibited Syrian entrepreneurship and energy, which the Syrians are well known for, from really making Syria what it could be. Syria today, beyond the headlines of the last 15 years of repression, violence, and displacement, represents an opportunity. And it's a daunting challenge, undoubtedly so, but what I have seen, and I'm sure that Alexander and other colleagues who have visited can attest to that, is a sense of determination. I want to salute the government of Syria for really doing the homework in terms of really addressing the requirements for the rehabilitation and regeneration of their economy and the reintegration of the displaced communities and so on. I was impressed with what I saw in Idlib, in Aleppo, in Damascus, and elsewhere with the level of preparations. This is important. This is a country that has capacity. It's not a country that is without capacity and understanding what it needs. And it has genuinely an opportunity, and you see a lot of determination to make it happen. But I want to say, colleagues, that opportunity should not be taken for granted. Syrian people, two, three years on from the removal of the previous regime, are eyeing the opportunity, as President Shara and others said directly, the governors and other NGO leaders and community leaders were saying, the pledges that have been made in these international conferences that have been convened on Syria We need to see it. We need to see delivery. These numbers that are being pledged in conferences need to turn into meaningful projects for people to go back. I think the aim of Syria without camps is a clearly defined objective, but I do understand the difficulties that are involved. in making it and delivering on it, from property rights to all other kind of problems. We need to be there with the people of Syria, with the government of Syria, to making sure that can happen. And also, as we do so, and I say this directly, resolving displacement and the phenomena of this onward movement that many, many countries around the world has been complaining about. Syria is one of those opportunities where we see, based on the surveys that we have, a lot of people, a lot of the refugees, at least in the neighboring countries, really are eyeing the opportunity to go back to. But they need schools. Number one priority that people in the surveys that we see, they say schools for our kids, whether they're in Lebanon or in Jordan or in Turkey. They want to see some of the basic infrastructure, water services in these destroyed communities, and jobs, and revival of the irrigation systems and agriculture that will enable people to go back to work. I do see Syria fundamentally an amazing transformation from what has gripped our attention for the last 15 years of a country defined by conflict and displacement to one of a hopeful reintegration and people going back to their homes and making it happen. Syria has it within itself, within the sense of energy that its communities have and the commitment that they have to rebuild their country. I do believe we should be there for that. We as UNHCR are very much focused on helping the resettlements and the returns of these refugees with documentation, access, facilitation. But at the end of the day, the returns is just the beginning of the journey. It's not the end of it. People need jobs, need schools, need rebuilding that infrastructure. And we are already in have an understanding with the World Bank, of course, with the UNDP and others, and more importantly, with the IFC and the private sector trying to really bring in the revenues needed, the funding needed in order to create viable economic projects for reconstruction, housing, agricultural rehabilitation, et cetera, and so on, that will allow these displaced people who are going back home to their areas of origin to have meaningful lives instead of creating another cycle of dependency that Syrians do not want. We certainly should not be in the same. So my I welcome this meeting. It's an important statement. The presence of all these dignitaries here, international organizations, Syria matters. We need to turn Syria from the tragedy it has been to one of hope and success, I think it can be done, is within reach. We should not take it for granted. We should not drop the ball. We must make it happen.

Thank you very much, Mr. Saleh. And honestly, it was very heartwarming to see all the pictures of you in camps in Syria when you went speaking to the people and seeing their determination. And Tom, until we manage, and it's way above my pay grade to make any contributions to anything, I think it will be a long time until we get there, we're willing to make a contribution that this world currently needs, which is a story that multilateralism, the UN, states can work. And we can make contributions that are driven by our trauma and by our horrific experiences to turn those experiences into a positive story. And we've already began with issues of chemical weapons and the nuclear stuff and being able to coin a day to recognize women searchers of missing people with all your support. These are all initiatives that we want to give back to the world as a form of our healing. And so what we see in this success in a very measurable way with all the institutions and agencies here, with all the states that can make it happen and the political will exists, the funding should exist, that the implementers are there to be able to make it happen. We have no reason to come back here next year and have a sequel to this event with everyone around this room. we can make an incredible story on agenda items that really matter to the world. And one agenda item is the issue of migration. And I've been sitting here in many conferences, in many topics, talking about the issue of migration. We're very happy to have IOM here with us today. And Amy went also to Syria very, very early on. I'm very happy to hear your experience and see what is it that we can do and what the world can do to also make this a success story in a very contentious topic.

Minister and to you, Ambassador, for your leadership, and to all the Syrian officials who are here with us today. What we know is that to be successful requires the political will and engagement from the government itself. And as Alexander will say, who is our current champion of our solutions group, the best way that we succeed when we transition from humanitarian aid to something that's more durable is through your leadership. So the fact that you have all of us here today, even if Alexander just left, the fact that you have all of us here today is really a sign of the strong commitment that we have collectively to making sure that this is a success. Now, number one, I'll tell you, we need a stable Syria. The region needs a stable Syria. We know that a Syria that is prosperous will not only contribute to the stability as a whole, but it will attract back many of your nationals. So there's a bit of a chicken and egg thing that has to happen here, and we want to work closely with you to make sure that that's successful. So do I get extra credit if I actually give you a slightly higher number on the number of IDPs who've gone home? Because we're actually tracking 2.19 million IDPs have come home since December of 2024. Of course, there are still many, many millions who haven't yet been able to come home. And you won't be surprised to hear, as Barham said, that the same things that would motivate all of us to go back home after a conflict are the same things that Syrians in Europe are saying to us, right? They want to go home. More than 75% of the people that we talk to in the countries that are hosting Syrians are looking to go home. And they're looking for the very things that anybody would look for. Can their kids go to school? Can they get to a doctor? Is their house still standing? Is it safe for their kids to play outside? It's common sense, right? So a plan that addresses those things in order will be absolutely essential. Now, it doesn't mean that people won't go home until all those things are in play. And our job is to make sure that they are aligning and contributing to those factors. So, for example, we know I've met with Syrian business owners in places like Turkey, who have been very, very successful, actually, in building out their businesses since their displacement. They're eyeing the market right now in Syria. So they're thinking about how do we either expand our business or move our business back, those should be some of the first stakeholders that we are really engaging because if we can bring businesses into Syria, that creates more jobs and we see it across the board. We also know that if we leverage the Syrians who are abroad, if we align it with your investment plans, then we can bring them either their money, their skills, their services into your overall plan, right? So, we don't do this in isolation from the Syrians who are living abroad. We do it together with them so that they are part of the rebuilding of your country. Now, with UNHCR, we have a long history of working together in returns, whether it's Iraq, whether it's the former Yugoslavia, you know, you name it. This is work we've done for many, many years. I can pledge to you that IOM is going to be standing shoulder to shoulder with you with our partners. Now, one thing I'll say, you know IOM was pushed out of Syria because of the collection of our data. But this is a place where you can now leverage that very data to better inform where you're going to put your resources. So we have the Communities of Return Index. It's looking at various cities, villages across Syria, lets you know what is their level of ability to accept returns. We also have an emergency mobility and cross-border monitoring, which will also-- these are tools you can use to help determine where you want to put that capacity, where you want us to put that capacity, so that you can better manage those movements of people in a way that is So use the data. It's there to inform all of us. It's there to inform you so that you can make the right decisions. the most strategic decisions. Thanks.

Thank you so much, Amy. And if it was not self-explanatory, IOM was pushed out by the former regime, not by the-- because I think that would be a bit awkward for us to invite them to speak here if it was the case. Colleagues, both UNHCR and IOM and others have done intention return surveys throughout the years. And the numbers were incredibly low, and we've always made the case that people are not going to return if the Assad regime stays there. We took care of that. And so our colleagues who fought hard to earn their freedom, to earn our freedom, to colleagues who, to the Syrian people who were incredibly resilient, to activists, we all worked hard for the last 14 years, and we got rid of that regime. People want to return. The intention surveys are clear. The government wants people to return. That's also clear. But these two things do not match if we still have people in camps, if there are still mines. And this is where all of this kind of comes together in order for us to be able to make it a success. This, for us, the no camps vision, is also a part of transitional justice. Because a lot of people who are in camps, or were forced to stay in camps, are victims of international crimes. And one way of at least some sort of reparation is getting them back home. And yes, Ms. Pope, absolutely, the Syrian business community, which as many of you know is incredibly vibrant, plays a very big role in creating those jobs, in creating those economies. And that's why we're incredibly grateful to all of you in Europe, in the United States in particular, for lifting sanctions, because it allowed businesses, Syrian businesses to come back, but also international business to come back. We've had delegations back and forth, and that contributes to the economy moving ahead. It's very rare from the year that I've been here to see stars aligned. The stars are aligned on this issue. We have everything that we need to really make it happen and be proud of what we were able to achieve. So how do we make it happen? And this is now where I transition to Mr. Ahmed Qazi is to be able to give us a little bit more details about the initiative and what is happening in numbers. I know some principles have left, but I promise you I will quiz them on the numbers to make sure that they've done their homework once they come back in order to be able to really adjust and know exactly the statistics that we need to make this really come true. And I know time is incredibly tight, so I'm appreciative of all of you who are able to stay for as long as you can. Ahmed, please, the floor is yours.

Mr.

Ibrahim, your excellencies, colleagues, partners, everyone, God peace and blessings be upon you all. Because the topic is very important, we need to start from where it should end. I'll start with the recommendations from the findings, from the messages, the key messages that I hope that we all take with us from this meeting, the main key messages regarding the vision of Syria without camps. six key messages that I hope you will take with you after we leave this room, that you take them with you and think about them, because this is the essence of this vision. The first key message is ending camps, eliminating camps does not start by closing the camps, but by preparing the infrastructure in the different areas for the return of the IDPs. The second key message is addressing displacement is the backbone for recovery in Syria and for sustainable stability. We cannot have recovery, we cannot have sustainable stability without addressing the question of displacement. The third key message, we need to flip the formula. We should not think of the IDPs or the returnees as an economic burden, but rather as a point of strength. Economically, that is a leverage tool for the national economy. The fourth message, the Syrian government has the will and the determination to create a success story out of the story of internal displacement in Syria. We hope that this story is a partnership between the Syrian government and you all. Let us make an international global success story. The fifth key message is that the Syrian government has the plans, we have the projects, We have the activities, the skills for implementation. What we lack is funding and genuine partnerships. And this is what we will present to you today. The final key message, financing temporary solutions and the continued presence of IDPs in camps is not economically feasible or cost efficient if we think about it. If we want it to be cost efficient in terms of the funding, we need to develop the communities and to invest in the IDPs in their places of origin. These are the key messages, and I hope that we all can take with us when we leave this room and that we start a genuine partnership so that we can achieve a global success story regarding displacement. 14 years of displacement, as you see it. In November 2024, the numbers were that we had 12 million IDPs. 4.5 million in camps and the remaining numbers were in the host communities. What we look at now is September 2026. There are major differences because the main reason for displacement is gone. We talk now about 1,319 total camps in Syria, not only in the northern governorates. We have 1,319 total camps with a total of 167,123 families and 842,459 displaced people. The 843,000 internally displaced people have major problems that we need to address. The distribution in terms of numbers, 89% of the camps are in the northern areas, in Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama. Accordingly, the focus of the presidential decree 59 was on these main areas because the biggest number of camps is present in the northern areas. We see also, as I said, the highest concentration of displaced persons and refugees is in Idlib and Aleppo, 80% in total. As I mentioned, The minister talked about four elements that are basic for the dignified and safe return. Safety, that there are livelihood, and genuine partnership between the government and civil society organizations and international and UN organizations. The government cannot work in isolation of partnership, genuine, that is with the UN. But what we need to document and is that we all work within one national framework and that the plans that civil society organizations, as well as international and UN organizations, fulfill the vision, the government's vision, in terms of the priorities. IDPs in Syria live in four kinds of camps, either concrete camps, prefab caravans, or concrete camps with tarpaulin roof. What we want is that we want to eliminate tents by 2026. This is a goal that is achievable for all of us. The question then is how many IDPs in these tents? 76,569 families. that are in tents, who are subject to floods, to cold weather, to freezing temperatures, and all kinds of weather conditions. These are the foremost priority for us in Syria in order to end the situation of this camp, as I mentioned. You see here the distribution of the areas of the camps in Syria. In Al-Suwayda, we have only one camp. Whereas in Idlib, in Aleppo, sorry, we have 24,112 camps. And also our concentration is on Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama, because we have 90% of the camps concentrated in these three areas. Unfortunately, when we talked about the number of 76,000 families who live in tents, Most of these families do not have homes at all. 50.9% of them do not have any houses. 30.8% have completely destroyed homes. And therefore, we have a large percent that is 54,957 families who do not have homes. When the house is completely destroyed, this means that there is no house or no homes. Therefore, in addition to the burden of the infrastructure, many families are unable to return due to the lack of any housing for them. These are the number of houses in Idlib. The good thing And what we want to recall here, when we asked the returnees in the survey, 57% of them want to return now. But there are no elements or no bakeries, no infrastructure, nothing that would support them their return. And they do not have houses. 42% do not want to go back to area of origin, but to leave the camp, that's what they want. And therefore, there is a problem in the area of origin because they are not aware of these areas and what services are available there. So if we combine the 57% and the 42%, we see that the overall majority of the IDPs want to leave the camps and go back to the areas of origin. The good thing is that 0.2% would want to move outside the country. The main driver for displacement is gone, and therefore, Syrians want to stay in Syria. And this is what we want to stress here. The IDPs and the refugees are equally treated. There is a large number of refugees who want to return back to Syria, but the problems are the same. No infrastructure, no homes, no means of livelihood, no job opportunities, and these are the main obstacles to their return. Since the issuing of the decree that was issued in March 2025, 2026, until now, we have 22% of IDPs who returned to the areas of origin. This is a major achievement. despite of the limited resources, the limited projects, but this is due to two factors, the government support and leadership, as well as the support from UN and international organizations, this kind of genuine partnership. And despite the fact that the projects are limited, 22.8% of the IDPs were able to return. So you can imagine that there will be bigger projects, more focus on infrastructure. Thus, the number that we mentioned, 76,000, we are able to address in 2026. And it is not a dream. It is possible because the plans are there, the activities are there. The skills and experiences and expertise are there and the intentions are there. What we need really is the financing and the matching among all these matters. When we ask the IDPs, what are the main obstacles to return to areas of origin? They talked about homes, mines, infrastructure, employment opportunities. and the debris and rubble and the basic services. So when we know the obstacles, we are able to design our projects to address and overcome these obstacles. And therefore, there are projects for livelihood, the others for removing the debris, for demining, and for infrastructure. I want to mention here very quickly is that we divided the areas We have 3,344 villages where we have the IDPs from. So in the decree 59, we chose 120 priority areas. And we have all the data sets for these areas. Any organization, any funder that need this data, the data is available. What I want to stress before I conclude, as I mentioned, There is leadership, a clear government leadership for this vision. We have an electronic platform that brings together all the information to ensure transparency. We have a steering committee and a presidential committee that oversee all the projects. We have also a technical team that is working in the different governorates that fulfills all the technical requirements, including engineers regarding criteria and standards and ensures that we have full transparency and technical criteria and standards and all the standards are met. So when funding comes, then we have criteria for how we chose the beneficiaries, how we chose the areas. And accordingly, we work in line with international standards to ensure that our partnership with international partners is built on basis and principles that ensure and guarantee that transparency. Many of the sectors that we work on, and I'm sure that the partners will confirm that, telecommunication, hospitals, housing, and these are the main pillar. When we met with many of the IDPs during our visits, the IDPs are ready to go to their original villages in tents, in caravans, if they had water, sanitation, schools, as well as health care services, and there are no mines. So the formula is simple, straightforward. It requires the missing component, namely the funding. The last slide, I would like to say now that we have 1,519 projects or 18 projects. Maybe this is a big number, but these areas deserve that because they had suffered a lot of destruction as a result of the previous regime. The infrastructure is completely destroyed. Our field teams had conducted a full survey and of all the infrastructure in these areas and as such we have 1,519 projects. Now the total cost of 2 billion dollars. We have the plans, we have the projects, as well as the statistics and the data. These reflect projects that can be implemented the minute funding is available. I would like to stress and conclude that through this partnership, let's create a global success story and that displacement is possible, not managing displacement, but ending displacement, transforming IDPs from economic and social burden, IDPs and refugees, transform them into economic strength and power, not for Syria alone, but for the whole region. Thank you. 30 seconds, $2 billion is not a lot of money. In the different conferences on Syria, we heard numbers like $11 billion, $15 billion. No. We want to fund the response, the solutions, the solutions to end this situation in Syria, and hopefully the situation, or it is a simple matter.

Minister Raad, as you've heard, There is the political will, there's the implementation. Now, you've seen the statistics, what we've done, what is still possible, the numbers, what is it that we need. And usually when I see millions and billions on the screen, I feel like turning this into a pledging conference, but we will not do that today. But this is to show you that we have what it needs and what it takes to make this really happen. So how do you then do this? How can your governments get in touch? What is the entry point? Where is the access? Who's going to facilitate that? And I'm so glad that we have Mr. Qutaiba Qaadih with us, the director of the International Cooperation Department, which is a newly established department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that has the mandate of, once the political will is there, to turn your commitments into reality and to be a partner on the ground to all governorates, to all ministries, to be the single entry into Syria, to turn things, the commitments into practical realities for people. I've asked Mr. Qutaiba to just be brief for a few remarks about how this is going to work and what are the options, and then we're going to open the floor to comments, questions, and answers. Qutaiba, please.

Thank you, Your Excellency.

I will speak briefly.

After deliberation, the government has determined the national priorities in order for all the donors and partners and friends of the Syrian people can know what our national priorities are. These national priorities will determine the interventions we need and the vision of the Syrian government and what can support reconstruction and recovery.

We always.

Emphasize on the national ownership of all these interventions, and our international partners should, of course, develop plans and provide the technical aspect, but the Syrian government should preserve the national ownership of these projects. Therefore, interventions should be aligned with our national priorities. The second point we should emphasize with our international partners is the need to support the private sector. Supporting the private sector will contribute in the reconstruction and will reinvigorate the economy. In the past four months, we have been meeting with the international organizations supporting investment, supporting the private sector, and funding it. And we have explained to them our governance model in the Syrian government. And we have also explained the various investment opportunities in Syria, the recovery of the banking sector, and the recovery of the financial institutions. the need for a safe legislative environment to support the private sector and to attract investments. So with our partners, we are working on moving from recovery to sustainable development. Therefore, we do not only need to rebuild schools and hospitals, we also need for these schools and hospitals to work in a sustainable manner and to continue providing services even after the.

Funders withdraw from Syria.

Following the liberation, we have started developing strategic partnerships with the major donors and institutions. Today, we have a very strong relationship with the United Nations, with the World Bank Group, and most of the governmental development institutions in friendly countries. This partnership should be built on our national priorities and also on the national ownership of the Syrian institutions which should be managing all these interventions. The grants that we have received in Syria are very limited. Therefore, we need the intervention of partner institutions to support investments and to support the private sector.

Thank you.

There are a couple of points that I took from Mr. Qutaiba's intervention. So first, We're not here to rely on aid. You've heard in Mr. Qutaiba's statement that we want the private sector to flourish. Many of the Syrian cities are very well known for their industrial capability, their trade capability, but because of the war and what has happened, those elements of society and the middle class really struggled. So we're not requesting a dependency. We want to be able to move ahead in a kind of sustainable way, including through the private sector. The second point that I'd like to kind of really shed light on before opening the floor is that what you've heard today and what you've seen happen in terms of statistics, our ability to host here, a ministry dedicated to this issue, a decree, teams working together, getting the numbers, plan, visions, a new directorate, that all happened within less than two years. And Sometimes, you know, we just I personally remind myself to be careful that the success of the transition so far doesn't give the impression that, you know, the government changed in Syria through election or peaceful means or anything like that. We upheld state institutions from collapsing, but the regime collapsed. What you've seen here today is not no one came to us and say, here is how you collect data and here's the data that we have and here's how you build you build upon it. IOM was not in the country. Most UN agencies were not We're not giving visas. We're not being able to operate. All of that changed because the political will existed and the people who really love their country and the partners that exist came together in an incredible moment of hope and turned it into reality. For me, hope is something that is futuristic. When I say I'm hopeful for Syria, I'm looking to the future. But I'm actually at this moment happy. I'm living the moment of being happy in Syria of what we achieved and hopeful for the future. And this is what we all here kind of created together. Finally, when we say sustainable return, as colleagues have mentioned and as I shed briefly light on it, people were scared to return during the Assad regime. They are no longer scared. And so the numbers are high. The intention return surveys are high. But if they return and they do not find what they need, they will leave again. And this time, there is no return. And this is what we're trying to prevent. A lot of Syrians are relying on us, on their social fabric, on their family infrastructure to be able to hold them together on this hopeful moment of this, we can do it. We want to show the world. We want to turn our pain into a success. But that is not sustainable. And so when we are offering sustainable solution, they are sustainable solution to prevent another crisis, to prevent another migration situation. A picture that is cemented in all our minds, those of Syrians and those who have worked on Syria, was a picture of, I think, a three-year-old washing ashore, Alan Kurdi, with his red shorts and blue top, where their boat capsized, a Syrian family trying to reach Europe. Now we're seeing pictures of kids smiling, intense but smiling, wanting to return. This is how we want to be remembered. And this is now your opportunity for Syrians to remember the international community as an international community that had its difficulties for the last 14 years, let many of them down, but when the moment came, stood up to the challenge and worked with us. And with that, I now give it to the international community to give us their comments, views, questions. Please, you have to press the microphone button and please introduce yourself. Thank you. One button is not working, so we're going to use a pen and a hand. There we go. It is working. Please.

Excellency, Mr. Minister, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, let me first thank our Syrian colleagues and the United Nations for organizing this timely discussion. The growing gap between humanitarian needs and available resources is placing the international humanitarian system under serious pressure. We are dealing with displacement situations that are larger, more complex, and in many cases, much more protracted. For more than 15 years, as Turkey has been hosting one of the world's largest refugee populations, with almost 2.2 million Syrians under temporary protection. Since 8 December 2024, more than 737,000 Syrians have returned voluntarily to their homeland, safely, with dignity, as witnessed by UNHCR. Looking ahead, the continuation of voluntary return of displaced Syrians will depend on the stability of Syria and the international support for its recovery. With this understanding, as Turkey, we support the No Camps initiative and its objective of finding durable solutions for displaced Syrians. We know from experience that sustainable returns depend on the conditions in their homeland. People need to know that their children can go to school, that health care and other basic services are available, and that they will be able to rebuild their lives. This is why Syria's recovery and the sustainable return of displaced Syrians must go hand in hand. Turkey is supporting efforts to improve the living conditions on the ground. We are contributing to the rehabilitation of schools and healthcare facilities while supporting Syrian institutions through technical assistance and capacity building projects. Currently, health infrastructure, vocational training, capacity building, agriculture, and restoration of cultural heritage are among our key priorities in Syria. Security and safety of Syria is equally important. mines, and other remnants of war continue to threaten civilians and prevent people from returning to their homes. Turkey continues to support Syria in this field, both through bilateral and multilateral efforts. This initiative also highlights the need to move from making return possible to making it sustainable. This requires rebuilding homes and neighborhoods, restoring infrastructure, and bringing economic activity back to communities of return. We are particularly well placed to contribute to these efforts as our construction companies have extensive experience in delivering large scale housing, infrastructure, and urban development projects rapidly, efficiently, and at competitive cost. We would like to put this capacity at the service of serious reconstruction. In partnership with Syrian companies, international financial institutions, and development partners, we can help rebuild communities in a way that also creates jobs, supports local supply chains, and restores livelihoods. In this sense, we believe that investment in reconstruction is also investment in sustainable return. There is also a security dimension that should not be overlooked as camps are progressively closed. We should remain vigilant against the risk that individuals affiliated with terrorist organizations may have infiltrated or found shelter within camp populations. Ultimately, the success of the No Camps Initiative will depend on what awaits people after they leave the camps. The international community should increasingly channel its resources towards communities of return to support Syrian-led efforts to create the conditions for voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable returns. Turkey stands ready to continue working with Syria, the United Nations, international financial institutions and other partners towards this objective. I thank you.

Thank you, Your Excellency, for your contribution and for bringing in the security element of it. Camps are very hard to monitor, to understand risks, to be able to figure out if there's a security threat that happens. Communities living in camps don't often know each other, which is a security factor, and so you're not sure, can be easily infiltrated. And that's a security risk that also the No Camps vision helps us deal with. Mr. Cordoni, please. And given that there's a lot of interest, if we can keep all remarks to about two, three minutes, be grateful. Thank you. Mr. Cardone, thank you.

Just a couple of remarks in terms of the activities that the Office of the Special Envoy is doing or planning to do with the government to complement the work that the country team is doing. First, in terms of the recovery and the economic conditions, this morning we discussed also with the President the issue of preparing an international conference that would assist the recovery of Syria. Of course, this is indirectly, but actually it is directly relevant to what we're discussing here. And that conference can cover also support for the private sector and all the various aspects that would lead to such recovery and reconstruction. Another thing that the Secretary General has committed himself to is to deal with the legacy of sanctions. Most sanctions have been lifted, but the legacy is still there, and that obviously impacts on the economy. Outside of the economic field, we're working with the government on addressing hate speech. Of course, that's another element that puts off people from wanting to return to areas where they may not feel safe. And of course, there's the whole transitional justice element, including property and things to be addressed. And finally, another important thing that we want to avoid is new displacement. We're talking about displacement as something that has happened and now needs to be dealt with, but we have people being displaced, for example, from the areas newly where the Israelis are now operating, and people find it impossible to stay there. So we need to make sure that additional displacement doesn't add to the challenges of stability to Syria and Collectively, I think we have a great opportunity. There's a great plan there. There's a contribution from states, and I think we can make this thing succeed. Thank you.

Thank you, Claudio. And honestly, I think you broke the record for the quickest UN you know, staffer that managed to turn a meeting this morning with the Secretary General to already a demand to, to stay. So thank you for turning what we talked about this morning already as, as an important talking point, because we did raise exactly these issues with the Secretary General. So I'm I'm very grateful to that. And thank you for mentioning the new displacements with areas newly occupied by Israel, the families there. We're grateful to our OCHA colleagues for doing an assessment. And it's costing money because there are families who are having to move from those areas, the pesticides being used on farmland and so on. So thank you for raising it. I now give the floor to our colleague from the European Union.

You so much. And it's my honor to be here today. And I congratulate you, Minister, and Syria as a country, to having this side event here at the UNGA. I think it is actually the first time that you are organizing a side event. And I think it's a remarkable moment. And also, congratulations on your optimism and the energy and the hope that you put into the meeting and to your work. And actually, I also visited Syria when I was the U.S. Special Representative for Human Rights. And the moment that we landed and the wheels touched ground, I felt that this was really special to me to be able to travel to Syria again, to be able to work with you again. And that is exactly what we need, is to cooperate. And I will not repeat everything that's been said by the representatives of the UN and by yourself on what needs to be done, because it was obvious to me when I had conversations about difficult issues like transitional justice that this is really what the Syrian current government is very focused on doing, to reconstruct and to create the conditions for the vision that you have on no camps and no tents. And we all know what they are. And we know that it's really about schools, it's about jobs, it's about infrastructure, it's about housing. It will not just happen. It's a lot of hard work. And that's why people need to visit Syria and they need to see for themselves the rubble. And then they understand the scale of the problem. And let me just, because I want to be very short, but let me say, because you said we cannot do it on our own, we need help, we need funding. The EU is very much committed to supporting this effort, and we do so by creating the conditions for the Syrian economy to start functioning by lifting sanctions. But we understand that it also takes funding. And earlier this year, President von der Leyen pledged 620 million euros. for this year and for next year to support recovery, to support reconstruction and humanitarian needs. And we also urge other partners, international partners, to step up as well. And I think that our approach is clear. Returns must be possible. They must be safe. They must be dignified. They must be sustainable, indeed. Otherwise, we don't see a way forward. But this is the condition and the objective that we are working on. This is part of the EU's broader commitment to Syria's peaceful and inclusive transition. We are very pleased to hold the first EU-Syria high-level political dialogue in May, where the conditions of sustainable returns were one of the key issues discussed. So I think today's event is important, it is timely, and it provides us with an opportunity to discuss not only the ambition of a Syria without camps, but also what is required to make this ambition sustainable. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. I have on my list now Qatar, United States, followed by France. Thank you.

Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, I would like to begin by reiterating the state of Qatar's firm and consistent support for the brotherly Syrian people to live in dignity and to build a secure, stable, and prosperous state. Distinguished colleagues, the sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons requires the restoration of communities in which Syrians can rebuild their lives in safety and dignity, with access to housing and essential services, including electricity, water, education, and healthcare, as well as functioning institutions. In this context, Qatar has provided natural gas to support electricity generation, and together with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, contributed to settling Syria's arrears to the World Bank, with a view to enabling the resumption of programs that can support institutional recovery, capacity building, and development. These efforts reflect our conviction that improving the economic and humanitarian conditions of the Syrian people must remain a priority for the international community. We therefore encourage the United Nations, international financial institutions, development partners, and the private sector to strengthen cooperation with Syria in support of early recovery, reconstruction, livelihood, and investment in affected communities. Excellencies, the state of Qatar will continue to stand with the brotherly Syrian people in their efforts to build a secure, stable, and prosperous future. And thank you.

Thank you very much. I now give the floor to our colleague from the United Arab Emirates.

May the peace of God be upon you. I will speak in Arabic. Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, The UAE welcomes this side event, and we welcome the focus on finding sustainable solutions for our brother, the Syrian displaced and IDPs. The United Arab Emirates, through its previous positions, have supported the no Syria without camps vision. We believe that moving from long-term dependency on camps to stable communities, communities that can rebuild themselves, is an important step towards enhancing stability in Syria and the region. In this context, return should be voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable. And we should provide the conditions that would allow households to rebuild their lives once again. This requires more than just providing housing. There is a need for demining, for agricultural land, for the rehabilitation of the infrastructure and basic services. addition to providing job opportunities, livelihoods, and supporting local economies. It's worth mentioning that the camps dossier also encompasses security dimensions that go beyond the humanitarian issues, and this requires a special approach and a collective responsibility in coordination with the Syrian government and in accordance with international law. The UAE has also welcomed the return of investments to Syria. We believe that investments and economic recovery are main pillars for the sustainability of return. The state has adopted several steps in that direction. We look forward to expanding this partnership with Syria and international financial institutions. We also believe that it is important to align UN efforts and the efforts of international partners with the Syrian national priorities. It is important for response to move gradually from humanitarian assistance to early recovery, development, and investments. Investment in the communities does not serve Syria alone, but also contributes to enhancing regional stability and security. Therefore, the UAE will pursue its efforts in order to achieve the security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Syria, and to support the Syrian people in its recovery, development, and prosperity. Thank you.

We have one final speaker. I give the floor to France, and then I will just give some closing remarks.

Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. Mr. Minister, Excellencies, let me first thank you for the initiative of this gathering. I have been extremely impressed by the enthusiasm, dynamism, convergence of views in this room, and also the very precise and careful planning associated to this No Tents, No Camps initiative. You have to know that France has remained steadfast in its support for the Syrian people, first of all through humanitarian aid since 2012, through 500 million euros. But France stands really ready nowadays to support the efforts as Syria enters a new phase of its transition. We want to focus our expertise on the sectors that you mentioned required for intervention for the future. Let me mention, and of course, in coordination with the Syrian transitional authorities, the United Nations, and the Syrian civil society in response to your needs. Through our operator, Expertise France, we are already stepping up our engagement, first of all, through a programme to support the recovery of the health system, and second, through another programme which will support agriculture, livelihoods and local economic recovery, which are key sectors in the community resilience and the creation of conditions conducive to sustainable returns. Let me remind for us that effective coordination with humanitarian and development actors, as well as with international financial institutions, will also be essential. And we commend the essential work carried out by the UN, and in particular, the UNHCR. As Syrian people consider returning to their homes, UNHCR, as well as Syrian local NGOs and authorities' role are crucial in helping ensure that returns are voluntary, safe, sustainable and dignified, and in supporting access to protection, documentation, essential services and sustainable reintegration. These efforts must go hand in hand with a just and inclusive political transition, respectful of the rights of all Syrians and of Syria's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. France stands ready to play its role alongside the Syrians people. Thank you very much.

Thank you to our colleague from France. And thank you to all colleagues, really, who made it here today and made very helpful interventions and took very diligent notes. I've seen lots of numbers being taken down. Colleagues, just as a final word, Syria, the Syrian conflict, unfortunately, under Assad, was known for many things that went wrong. The use of chemical weapons, ISIS, the issue of drugs in Kaptagon, the refugee crisis, the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. We were breaking ground in ways that we really did not want to, ticking every box that we did not want to tick. We used to joke saying, we've seen everything but the natural disaster, then we had the earthquake. So we kind of you know, ticked every box that that kind of existed. We're really keen now on not being the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, but the quickest refugee crisis that was resolved since World War II. We don't want to be the country that that is known for narco trafficking under the former regime. And now with OECD numbers coming up, We've almost dealt with 97 percent. The country that's known for having chemical weapons, we're very proud now of having destroyed the majority of them and moving ahead in that direction. So this is what we want to be known for, and this is how we want the international community to be remembered. And so we've taken the grief, the hope of our people from the camps. You've seen there, and many of you have been in the video, and we've taken it up to the highest forum possible in the busiest week possible. Now, we didn't come here and say, "Here, take it." We've come here to say, "We are willing to do it with you, and we know that you are willing to do the same." So thank you so much for being here with us today. Minister Raad was very excited about the gavel, so I will let him hit it so that we can end the session. Alhamdulillah.